| Discounted VCRs ican be a good deal IS IT possible to buy a decent videocassette recorder (VCR) these days discounted to $300 or less? This depends on your expecta- tions, but for al’ but the most critical or gadget-loving videophiles the answer is yes. As VCRs have become almost as common as table radios, Japa- nese and European electronics firms have managed to hold the line on. pricing for their basic . models, both to encourage sales in what is becoming a soft market and, in particular, to compete with low-cost brands by manufac- turers in Korea and Taiwan. This means you can still buy a pame-brand VHS-format VCR —- albeit with few frills — for a bargain-basement price (no 8mm video recorders are as yet avail- able in this range, and Beta-for- mat machines almost nonexistent.) Budget price VCRs give you a basic tuner, a simple timer for unattended recording, a remote control and modest special effects like video still-frame and picture search. Depending on the manufactur- ‘er, most VHS decks give you the ability to record at any of three HS speeds, called SP, LP or EP, giv- ing you two, four or six hours, respectively, on a standard-length videocassette. :: Fhe SP speed provides the best overall picture and sound quality f -and is preferred for most uses. All } but a smali number of low-price “prerecorded movies are recorded in SP mode. : EP (also called SLP by some manufacturers) is. considered mediocre at best, and is suitable mainly for recording broadcast . shows for later viewing. Some companies are now omit- ting the four-hour LP mode, but o far virtually all consumer VHS machines are capable of playing apes recorded at any of the three peeds. Four heads are better than two There is probably more misin- formation regarding a VCR’s “heads than any other topic in home video, confusing salespeo- _ ple, customers and even informed - yvideophiles. -- & recorder’s heads are the “ devices that read and write video information from and to a -- cassette, " [n- general, VCRs having four video heads use one pair for re- cording at the SP speed and another for special-effects : playback (slow motion, freeze frame, etc.). This is the reason four-head machines usually offer better pic- ture’ quality than lower-cost two- head models. Three-head VCRs will use a pair of heads for recording and a third - for special effects; overall their =. quality will be no better than - two-head units. The lowest-price * models provide only a single pair * of video heads for recording and playback, which usually results in compromised performance, especially in the SP mode. The highest-price VCRs may & boast as many as seven heads, though this may not necessarily ‘ensure a significantly better pic- ture than can be found with quali- ty four-head models. ‘Unless you're operating on the tightest of budgets, a four-head model will offer better picture quality, features and overall rug- . gedness for the money. _ Used or new? One possible way to save meney ona VCR is to buy a used one. By Mare Wielage Contributing Writer With millions of new recorders being sold each year, there are as many used machines on the mar- ket. You can find pre-owned VCRs at garage sales, flea mar- kets, pawn shops and video dealers’ clearance racks, typically sold on an as-is basis. Newspaper classified ad sections are often jammed with used VCR listings, especially after holiday seasons. With such machines selling for as little as one-half or less the cost of their original list prices, they can be great for the careful shop- per. However, as tempting as the prices on used VCRs can be, you must use a great deal of caution if you’re considering the purchase of one. Ask for a demonstration just to make sure the basic playback, re- cord and tuner functions operate. Listen for any peculiar noises (squeaks, groans, ticks, etc.) from inside the machine. Insist on at least a seven-day money-back guarantee, just to give you a chance to take the VCR home and sufficiently run it through its paces. Stick with major brand-name models — Hitachi, JVC, Panasonic, RCA, Sony and Zenith, to name a few — and avoid any brands that are unfa- miliar to you. Also, avoid buying any VCR that is more than five or six years old, simply because parts for such ‘machines are difficult to find. Will you need a service contract? When shopping for any heavily discounted VCR, chances are a salesperson will try to get you to buy a service contract for the machine, which extends the man- ufacturers warranty for a specified period of time. But, are they a good deal for the consumcr? Generally théy are not. Unless you Hterafly abuse a VCR, it’s not likely to fail in the first year or two of ownership. It’s after the first 1,000 hours of use that a machine will start needing attention. Bargain-price - service contracts in the $50 price range might not be a bad purchase, though, especially if they include such ex- tras as yearly inspections and/or head cleaning, movie rentals and discounts on accessories and ser- vice. Low discount prices A brief glance at a newspaper will reveal that competition is still extremely keen among video dealers — careful shopping can save a significant amount off the list prices. Some dbudget-price models carry lower dealer-profit margin than more expensive units, however, which might prevent you from ob- taining a large discount from list; many inexpensive VCRs may be priced equivalently at many outlets as advertised loss leaders designed to attract floor traffic. Some electronics chains offer a meet or beat pricing policy, though not all of them widely advertise this service. Reprinted by permission trom Consumer’s Digest. Distributed by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. Distributed by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate VCRS FOUND on the retail market range from basic inexpensive models to those with features to please any videophile. Hear the heme audio receivers with the pro audio heritage. Before Denon built their first audio components for the home, they built equipment for the recording studio and the broadcast booth. In these high-pressure environments, Denon gained a reputation for quality among the world’s most discriminating listeners. The same quality is evident in Denon’s receivers. That's why we recommend them so highly. They're logical choices for anyone serious about sound. 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